AP High
by Tairelic
Summary: Summer's over and change is in the air for Anime Pairings High. A Bully tries to protect his nerdy friend and a Rich Boy tries to win the heart of Poor Boy as love and drama dwindle in the air for both friends and foes.  Taishiro, Shishi  Palletshipping
1. Mamoru

Pairings:

Taishiro (Taichi/Koushiro)

Takori (Takeru/Iori)

Kenyako (Ken/Miyako)

Shishi (Palletshipping AKA Satoshi/Shigeru)

Momoka/Brick (Powerpuff Girls Z)

Miyako/Boomer (Powerpuff Girls Z)

Kaoru/Butch (Powerpuff Girls Z)

Abe/Mihashi (Ookiku Furikabutte AKA Oofuri or Big Windup)

Miharu/Yoite (Nabari No Ou)

Kaworu/Shinji (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Death The Kid/Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin (Soul Eater and Ouran High School Host Club)

**Chapter 1**

"Jeez, Koushiro. What happened to you?"

I took the Icepack from Taichi Yagami's hand and applied it to the large shiner currently adorning my eye. I ignored the cold sting, pressing it hard against my face.

"Come on Koushiro, tell me what happened." I shot Taichi a glare, forgetting for a second that he was sitting across from me.

"Nothing HAPPENED to me, Taichi. I was on my way out of computer club, and I bumped my face against the door as it opened."

"Hmm." Taichi, seemed to think for a second, spinning around in my special black computer chair. He always insisted on sitting in it, despite the fact that it's MY special chair. Luckily I can usually convince him we should hang at his house. He does have better video games after all.

Taichi suddenly stopped spinning, and fixed me with a serious glare, saying, "Bullshit."

"What?"

"You heard me. It's bull and you know it. You just don't want me going out and kicking this guy's ass."

"How are you so sure I didn't hit my eye?"

Taichi cupped the bruised side of my face, his eyes softening with consolation.

"I've injured enough people to tell when one of my own friends is hurt."

I found his reasoning a bit disturbing, but Taichi WAS a hothead. I remember the first time he met Yamato, they fought over who'd get to play with Sora at recess. She picked Yamato after Taichi accidentally knocked her over during the fight. A nostalgic grin spread over my face.

Tai let his hand fall as his face mirrored my grin, "Besides, you're not the clumsy, awkward nerd everyone thinks you are. You have really good hand-eye coordination. Hey! That gives me an idea! Stand up."

This can't end well

"Come on, Koushiro, stand up."

"Why? What are you gonna do?"

"Just stand up." Tai grunted as he grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet.

"Now. Evenly space your feet apart."

I followed his instructions. Why fight it when I was already standing?

"Make a fist."

I followed

"And hit me!"

"WHAT?"

"If you're not gonna let me kick this guy's ass, I'm at least going to teach you how to do it yourself."

"Taichi, I told you before. I walked into a-"

"Door. Fine, whatever, and with what I teach you, you'll be able to defend yourself against this 'DOOR', be it in the Cafeteria, the Locker-Room, a dark alley, I don't care. I just want you to be safe when I'm not around."

Taichi suddenly blushed, and the air grew slightly uncomfortable. Taichi kind of sucked at emotions besides anger, and he was acting particularly strange tonight.

"After all," He continued, "You're my best friend. So why won't you let me help you, damn it?"

Back to anger, which wasn't doing much to break the discomforting air. If he really wanted to help me that bad…

"Alright. You can teach me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. As long as it's you-OOMPH!"

Like a bolt of lightning, Taichi had charged at me, pressing me up against my bedroom wall. The edge of my bulletin board dug into my neck, while Taichi's arm dug into my stomach.

"Taichi, Why-"

"A Bully won't give you the chance to get ready. You have to think on your feet, BEFORE you get knocked off them."

"I see," I choked out "Do Bullies fight FAIR?"

"No. Wh-AAAAAAAAAH!"

I might not be Bruce Lee, but any combat-deficient nerd knows how painful a knee to the groin can be.

"OW, OW, OW, OW, OW! Some things are sacred Koushiro!"

Oops. Maybe I went TOO far? I haven't done this before. I placed a steadying hand on Tai's shoulder.

"Sorry, Tai. You okay?"

"Yeah. But you won't be." Taichi grabbed my arm and in an instant I was up close and personal with my own white shag carpet. Tai held my hands behind my back, while his knee pressed into the small of my back.

"Damn it Tai, this isn't what I had in mind."

"This is what a bully would do, Koushiro."

I struggled beneath him, wriggling my legs. His muscles made him heavy. How do you fight someone like this?

"Are you a bully, Taichi?"

The brown-haired boy was silent. I stopped struggling for a second.

"Are you a bully?"

Taichi released my hands, but I didn't move. I knew I struck a nerve, but our 'lesson' had a gone a little too far.

I heard a loud thump as I felt a weight lifted from my back. I rolled onto my back and sat up to face Taichi, who was now in what I can only describe as a collapsed crab walk.

I reluctantly crawled toward the chocolate-skinned boy.

"Taichi. TAICHI."

He didn't answer. I could tell he was ignoring me.

Only one option came to mind. I knelt between Tai's legs and started shaking his shoulders, "TAICHI!"

He couldn't ignore that. Tai's eyes shot back to my face and his hands grabbed my shoulders, stopping me.

Crap. Now what?

We were trapped in this weirdly intimate pose, both of us silent, our eyes never leaving each other.

"Taichi, why'd you do that?"

"You were shaking my shoulders."

"No, not THAT. Before, you attacked me. Why? And don't say you were teaching me to defend myself. That was a far cry from self-defense. What were you REALLY Doing, Taichi?"

He was silent again

"What were you really doing? Tai. Please."

I always used to call him Tai as a kid. I stopped when I got older, only using it when I was really serious about something.

"I was just trying to scare you." He responded

"Why would you want to scare me, Tai?"

"So you'd let me."

"So I'd let you WHAT, Tai. Tell me!"

"So you'd let me PROTECT you, damn it!"

"W-What?", I responded

"I wanted to SHOW you, Koushiro. How weak and vulnerable you are to all the bullies out there, at school and in the rural Japanese neighborhoods. You don't even realize how huge a target you are, a nice guy with plenty of money and little to no fighting ability. And guys can do a lot worse to you than just taking your MONEY. I want to PROTECT you…from all of them. Let me protect you, Kou-chan."

His childhood nickname for me

I let out an exasperated sigh and stood up, releasing my hold on Tai's shoulder.

"Tai…just get out."

He gazed up at me a look of pain in his eyes. Those damn eyes.

"W-What?"

"I said get out. I have a lot to think about and I have a long day of school tomorrow, so for now, please, just get out."

Taichi probably could've stayed if he wanted. God knows, I couldn't throw him out. That IS The point he just spent half an hour trying to prove to me.

But no, he just left the room without a second glance, an unreadable blank expression replacing his pained one.

It was then that I noticed my stray melting pack of ice on the ground a few feet away. I bent over to pick it up.

My safety wasn't even an issue 'til just recently, when everything changed. When we entered HIGH SCHOOL, a place that ignited an unspoken fear that had been building for years between Taichi and I.

I wish it had never happened, I wish Taichi and I hadn't started fighting, more than anything I wish our friends were still alive, but it's all irrelevant.

There's no going back. And all we have left is each other.

* * *

SO...I hope that wasn't TOO Bad. More chapters to come guys, leave plenty of reviews on what you think of this so far! More pairings to come, along with school life for Taichi, Koushiro, and their friends.


	2. Koibito

**Chapter 2**

"Come OUT!"

"No!

"JUST COME OUT!"

"I Said no! Saying it LOUDER won't convince me! I'm not ready to come out yet!"

Jeez, Satoshi was making this really hard on me. Here I was trying to help him and he just threw it back in my face.

I leaned against the bathroom door, which was currently keeping me from Satoshi.

Damn, I really needed a hobby. Satoshi's practically my entire social life outside of school. Well, I did have a FEW more friends, not to mention my own special team of cheerleaders who felt the need to follow me AFTER school, cheering me on in the most mundane activities, like a sale at the mall or turning down an ugly girl.

Not that I'm INTERESTED in girls. But only a select few knew that. After all, you have to be careful while still in High School. The merest whiff of homosexuality would result in a life of beating and extortion a lot like, well, Koushiro Izumi.

Not that I'd even know about it if Taichi wasn't always ranting about how WORRIED he was for Kou's safety. And who could blame him? Koushiro was a PUNCHING BAG.

I couldn't wait to get to college. I'd love to take Satoshi with me, but we only JUST started dating, even if I've had feelings for him a while now.

I stopped leaning on the door, instead walking towards my King-sized bed, falling on it. The black satin sheets felt so good against bare skin at night. I couldn't wait to share this with Satoshi. I have a lot to share with Satoshi now, thanks to you, Grandpa. The GREAT Professor Yukinari Ookido, AKA The WEALTHY Professor Yukinari Ookido, who had left his orphaned grand son a LARGE Inheritance and a large, fully furnished apartment to go with it.

I wonder what he'd think if he knew just WHO I wanted to share this with. Would he be accepting, angry, disgusted?

No way to know now.

I pondered for a second as I listened to the sounds behind the bathroom door.

Man, Satoshi was really taking a while. It shouldn't take THIS Long to dress.

"Really, Satoshi are you touching yourself in there? Let's go already!"

"Okay! I think I'm ready!" Satoshi said from beyond the door.

I sat up on the bed, crossing my legs in Indian style to get a better view of him. The door opened and my breath left my body. Satoshi was clad in tight black leather pants, a black tank-top, and a black leather biker jacket.

I threw out a few whistles and catcalls for fun, watching as Satoshi's face turned to a bright shade of red.

"S-So, it's really not bad, Geru-Kun?"

"Aside from the fact that you're blushing brighter than a Monster Ball-

"Hey! No Pocket Monster jokes. You know how much I hate that show."

"Sorry, Satoshi. Just teasing. Anyways, you look really AMAZING!"

"But…this leather is so TIGHT. You can see EVERYTHING."

"I know, isn't it great?" I grinned at him, "You look TOTALLY HOT!"

"I FEEL really hot. I can't wait to take this stuff off."

"Now, Now. There'll be plenty of time for that later. Kaworu and Shinji are waiting!"

I linked my arm with Satoshi's and started walking towards

"I still don't see the point of double-dating." Satoshi said as I pulled him towards the door.

"They're our friends, which means they can help foot the bill for dinner!"

Not that I needed it, I just needed help making this date go smoothly and Shinji and Kaworu have been together longer than any couple I know.

"Where is it we're GOING again?"

"A Fairly new place. It's sort of a fusion between a restaurant and a gay bar. They've got great food and a great DJ, Now stop asking questions and let yourself enjoy this!"

Satoshi shot me a very cute mock-pout as we made it to the door.

"Ready, Sato-chan?"

"Hell yeah, Geru-kun! Let's G-"

The ring of my cell phone cut him off. Damn it.

I reached into the pocket of my purple hoodie, pulling out my black-and-purple cell phone, just to see who was calling.

_Taichi Yagami_

Oh shit.

"Sorry Satoshi, I need to take this. Can you wait a minute?"

"Sure, Geru-kun. I'll just wait here, wondering if Shinji and Kaworu are growing increasingly angry over our lateness."

I ignored that sarcastic comment, walking back to and locking myself in the bathroom that I couldn't seem to escape from tonight.

I sat on the toilet and answered the still-ringing phone.

"So, how'd it go?" I asked

"_Really bad, Shigeru_"

"How bad?" I asked him

"_I can't do it alone. I need serious help. I need…Miyako_"

I felt my breath hitch for a second. He was most definitely SCREWED

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that folks, I know it was shorter than you're used to but I'll give you a nice LONG chapter next time!

Next Chapter!:

-Shigeru and Satoshi's date

-Also, Shinji and Kaworu are introduced along with Kaoru and Hikari, the Hitaachin Twins and Death the Kid!

BTW Please leave reviews when you finish, otherwise this story will DIE.

"Holds Gun to Story"

I'm not kidding here, people.


	3. Kanki

"Sorry Satoshi, I need to take this. Can you wait a minute?"

"Sure, Geru-kun. I'll just wait here, wondering if Shinji and Kaworu are growing increasingly angry over our lateness."

I watched as Shigeru walked back down the hallway and out of my sight.

Why couldn't he take the call in front of me? It's not like he's cheating or anything.

I stood there anxiously shifting the weight on my feet, waiting for my date to reappear, while gaining an ever-growing sense of guilt over Shinji and Kaworu.

They were the type who wouldn't complain if you were late, which made you feel even guiltier over leaving them hanging.

Screw this, he can take a phone call anytime. I began towards the hallway that led to the bathroom when the doorbell rung.

What now?

I did a 180 Degree turn towards the door, quickly pulling it open. I regretted it as soon as I did.

Standing in front of me were three Teenage girls in make-up, blouses and mini-skirts, AKA Cheerleaders.

CRAP

"S-Satoshi? What are you doing here?" Veronica stuttered

Veronica Taylor stood at 6 feet tall with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. In short, she was an AMAZON.

With the right training she probably could've been a professional basketball player, but she actually chose to be an artist. She wasn't bad either. I had first hand experience from Art class with her, where she fell in LOVE with Shigeru and his angry painting, which he tells me I inspired. Flattering, but just a little bit creepy.

"Yeah, what ARE you doing here, Satoshi? And why do you look like one of the village people?" Rica said.

Rica Matsumoto, the 5 Foot, Red-headed J-Pop singer with Anger Management problems and a love of Shigeru's Rock-Star looks and attitude. She really IS the only person I know who can reference obscure American Bands.

"Maybe he broke in?" Sarah whispered not-so-quietly to Rica.

Sarah Natochenny, the most beautiful girl of the three at 5'5 with pale moon-like skin, silky brown shampoo-commercial hair with only one fatal flaw: her voice. I don't know why, to me it just sounded so nasally like she had a cold or something, but nobody else could hear it except me.

"So anyway, what ARE you doing here, Satoshi? And why are you dressed like that?" Rica accused

"I don't think that's any of your business." I said, giving Rica my best sneer.

"What if we say it IS?" Veronica stepped forward, grabbing me by my jacket collar.

"Look, Shigeru and I are just hanging out, OKAY?" Can't let them find out we're dating or their big mouths will spread it all over school.

"But you two HATE each other. You fight all the time at school." Sarah said to me

Crap. I need a convincing lie. Maybe, I should try: "I needed advice." I said.

"Oh really? What kind of advice? Keep in mind, if you're lying to me I will rip out your balls." Rica said to me

"His eyeballs?" Sarah asked, confused.

"Sure, let's go with that. NOW Jari-boy, tell us just what advice you needed."

I cringed at Shigeru's former nickname for me.

"I needed…uh…FASHION advice. I mean, just look how I'm dressed! I'm desperate here." I finished off, with a wounded puppy look.

Veronica let go of my collar as the three started cackling like hens

"You're right, Satoshi." Rica said between laughs, "You're in SERIOUS need of a makeover."

After a minute the three girls calmed down with their laughter and I decided it was safe to ask them why they were here at all.

"Well," Veronica answered, "We were all hanging around kind of bored because it's Saturday and we decided it might be fun to have a date with Shigeru-kun. Where is he?"

And now the golden opportunity

"Oh, Shigeru? He's downstairs getting us coffee from the building's cafe for when we talk out the details of my much-needed makeover. If you hurry, you can probably catch him on his way back up."

"Really?" Sarah smiled, "Thank you Sato-Kun! It looks likes we can still salvage our night, right girls?"

But the two were already gone to find Shigeru.

"BYE!" Sarah bolted out the door, and I quickly closed it, letting out a sigh of relief. That sucked. I hate lying.

"Wow. Not bad for a an amateur liar." I heard a familiar voice say.

Shigeru walked out of the Apartment Hallway with a smug grin on his face that seemed to go perfectly with his dark purple hoodie and blue jeans.

"Geru-kun? How long have you been hiding there?"

"You honestly think I couldn't hear a doorbell ringing from the Bathroom?" I frowned at his answer with mild frustration.

"So you choose to hide there instead of helping me get rid of them?"

"If I HAD shown myself," He answered "I would've had to lie and then go on a date with THEM instead of you."

Well that's true. Those girls wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, the only reason Geru-kun let them follow him around.

"But now we can't get out of here? Those girls would definitely spot us if we tried to leave." I asked

An odd smile crossed Shigeru's face as he walked towards me, taking my hand in his. "Have you ever heard of a fire escape, Sato-chan?

**Chapter 3**

Shinji put the ear bud in my left ear as he put one in his right.

Shinji never wanted the ear-buds in our other ears because he feared anything coming between us. It was an irrational fear, but I didn't mind.

I slipped an arm around Shinji's shoulders as he scrolled through his ipod, looking for a song to listen to while we waited for Shigeru-kun and Satoshi-kun.

He held up the ipod for me to see, and I smiled and nodded.

As the music started to play, I felt my body start to relax with the comfort of this cushioned booth and Shinji under my arm

_Look, the snow that's floating down is melting in my hands,__  
__it's like it vanishes like it wasn't there._

_Hey, when something important to us is shattered,__  
__we just drift about quietly unable to hold onto each other._

_Far off in the distance, at the corner of the universe,__  
__we unexpectedly happened to meet each other._

The smile on my face widened. This song always reminded me of how I wound up with Shinji. How we came together after what happened with his father. _I want to yell out these miraculous feelings,  
I just want to tell you._

_But I never told you what I wanted to say.  
If you're lost or looking, I'll be here._

_Now, I've already felt this single light,  
I'll keep chasing it because if it gets away my future won't be calm._ Shinji had always been fragile, but I'd never seen him so broken by what his father did to him. _No matter what, no matter what, if it stops,  
my smile and tears will keep piling up._

_We've already walked this journey,  
and that's definitely the truth._

_When the rain is pouring, I'll be your umbrella,  
when the wind is blowing, I'll be your wall._ Shinji, to this day I'm protecting your glass heart. Hope I never break it. That's when I noticed that Shinji had fallen asleep. I decided to follow suit. _We've already walked this journey,  
and this fact hasn't disappeared._

_When the rain is pouring, I'll be your umbrella,  
when the wind is blowing, I'll be your wall._

_It doesn't matter how deep the evening darkness is,  
because tomorrow will definitely come._

_I just want to tell you  
because tomorrow will definitely come._

XXX

"OH CRAP!" I found myself saying

Satoshi and I had finally made it to our destination: SLASH, the hottest new attraction for gay Japanese teenagers and the Fan-girls who liked to ogle them.

We'd gotten past the Club's intimidating bouncer, weaved across a dance floor filled with hordes of gaudy teenagers in make-up and drag and finally reached the restaurant part of this place and what do we find?

Our supposed double dates had fallen asleep on each other. What the Hell?

I turned to Satoshi, "So now what do we do?"

"Well…uh…I don't want to wake them up. They look kind of happy and I'd hate to ruin that."

"Do you want to dance?"

"Dressed like this? NOOOOO. I avoided at LEAST Eight dry-hump attacks back there."

That gave me pause for a second. What else would we do in this place? Then I had an idea.

"Hey, Satoshi? Can you wait here a sec?"

"I've sure done a lot of waiting tonight." I heard Satoshi say as I pushed back through the door to the crowded dance floor.

I scanned the room, slightly disoriented by all the noise and flashing strobe lights until I found what I was looking for.

And then, like a complete madmen I started charging through the crowd, not afraid to step on a few literal toes. I wouldn't let anything ruin tonight. Not Tai, Not Kaworu and Shinji, and definitely not my so-called cheerleaders.

About half-way across the dance floor, almost there.

I suddenly felt my elbow being grabbed.

I looked back to see a teenage boy with long spiky black hair, pale skin and red lipstick.

"Hey baby," he said with an obviously slurred effeminate voice, "I like a man who knows what he wants."

I sneered at this obstruction of my path.

"Sorry. I'm taken."

"C-Come on *hic* NOBODY says no to THIS." The boy said, gesturing to his body with his free arm

"Sorry," I replied, not in the mood for this crap, "I don't go for guys with too much make-up."

"*hic* You bitch!"

He let go of my arm to swing at me, allowing me to continue with my charge through the crowd.

A Fight was definitely on the list of things I didn't have time for. A few more minutes and I'd finally made it to my goal.

I grabbed onto the edge of the platform and pulled myself up to face my prey, currently spinning the turntable.

"Hey DJ!"

"I have a name." he said, shooting me a sulky look

"Whatever," I looked at his name-tag, "Boomer. Listen, I have a song request."

"Yeah, get in line. I play what I want, bro."

"Don't call me bro. Just 'cause you're gay doesn't mean we're buddies."

"I'm not gay. I just work here. And I play what I want."

Time for the secret weapon

"Really? You won't play my song even for 10,000 yen?"

"I…Might play your song for that much. Just what is it anyway?"

I told him

"A-ARE YOU INSANE? That's DANGEROUS, man! I-It could-"

"Just do it, okay? I'm paying you, besides, you won't be hurt from this platform. Now play it!"

XXX

The restaurant was quiet, oddly enough, especially in contrast with the loudness of the bar, which was only separated by a large piece of wood. My eyes wandered around the bar, watching the people who were being so quite in this place. There were two young men at one table, talking and smiling. At another table two teenage girls were making out. Sitting in the booth across from ours was a pale young man with white stripes in his hair in a formal black suit with a skull-tie, who appeared to be talking to two twin teenage boys with spiky red hair,cat-like eyes, and fancy blue school uniforms.

"Hey! What are you looking at?" The black-haired kid suddenly noticed me looking.

"Who, me?" I feigned ignorance

"Don't try to deny it." The two who redheads said in unison, "Why were you looking at us?"

"No particular reason. I was just thinking, isn't it a little strange to be dating TWO guys?"

"What are you talking about, HIPPOCRIT?" The black-haired kid pointed at Kaworu and Shinji sleeping across from me, "At least I don't BORE my dates into a state of sleep!"

The two redheads snickered, annoying me.

"They're not my dates though. My date is out on the Dance Floor."

"Wow, Hikaru." One redhead said to his counterpart

"That's even worse, Kaoru" The other answered

They snickered again, which was getting increasingly annoying. My mom taught me to be polite to strangers, but there was a limit. I stood up in an angry manner, which seemed to silence the snickering twins. "Jeez, why would you even NEED two dates anyway?"

"Symmetry," the Black-haired boy said, leaning back against the booth. "Symmetry is perfection, and a two-boy couple does not a balance make."

"What are you talking about? If you're so damn symmetrical then why do you have three stripes on one side of your head-" One of the twins suddenly jumped up to cover my mouth, but it appeared too late as the black-haired kid started CRYING! There was something seriously weird, here.

The other twin guided the black-haired kid out of the booth as he muttered something under his breath. I caught the words 'Pig', 'Louse', and 'Don't deserve to Live' before the 2 disappeared with the other twin close behind. I sat back down in the booth and sighed. Why is it whenever Shigeru left me alone I encountered CRAZY people. This night was NOT turning out how I planned. "

Hey," A familiar voice broke through my thoughts

I turned to see Shigeru's face next to mine, a gentle smile adorning his lips. "So what's going on?" I asked him "The night should be getting better in about 3,2,1-"

Screams erupted from the other side of the door, followed quickly by sounds of crashing and breaking. I began to stand but Shigeru pushed me lightly back into my seat.

"Sit tight, Sato-chan. It's all part of the plan."

I sat there for a few minutes trying to read Shigeru's face as if that would somehow tell me what he had done, but I couldn't penetrate that sly smile and confident was about 5 minutes before the screaming died down and Shigeru grabbed my hand, guiding me out of the booth and towards the door. I looked back to see Shinji and Kaworu were still sleeping. Seriously?

Shigeru pulled me through the door and I found the place completely empty, abandoned except for a DJ who sat on a platform on the other side of the room. The only light in the room was a single strobe light, which aimed a spotlight at the center of the room, where Shigeru guided me.

"Geru-kun, what did you-"

"Shhh."

Shigeru put a silencing finger on my lips, "Now stop asking questions and let yourself enjoy this."

Music started playing

_I lost sight when I was alone in the falling rain  
if I'm not noticed, I might still be in the void  
let's stretch out this hand, don't look back_

Geru-kun wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into a tight embrace, giving us just enough room to dance awkwardly across the Dance floor. Still, despite the awkward dancing it somehow felt perfect. I rested my head on Shigeru's shoulder, wrapping my arms around his back.

_I want to be at your side  
_

_I want you to let be me at your side  
just as it is, If I could live on  
I will surely take that hand, and I can fly wherever it is  
as long as I'm with you, till faraway land just as it is_

"Hey, Geru-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"Exactly how did you clear the dance floor?"

"Oh, that? I just had the DJ play Caramelldansen, cleared the room faster than an episode of Boys Be."

I started laughing uncontrollably into the crook of Shigeru's neck, as he started laughing too. My shaking body soon became too much to hold and we both fell to the dance floor laughing uncontrollably in each other's arms as the music continued.

_If I stretch out this hand, we might understand each other_

_I always want to feel  
the warmth which is carved in this hand is yours, something that I found with you  
each of unchanged matters started to change differently  
just as it is, I will receive all_

_

* * *

_Wow, I'm pretty sure I wrote about 1000 offensive things in there. Anyone got offended? Leave your complaints in a review. BTW first one to catch the inside joke to the cheerleaders gets a free fanfic with the pairing of their choice. ^^

NEXT CHAPTER:

-Miyako, Ken, Iori, and Takeru are introduced

-Koushiro travels to Hikarigaoka to revisit some old memories

PLEASE, Leave plenty of reviews! They feed my writing life-force!


	4. Byoki

…

"_MOSHI MOSHI!_ "

"H-hello? Takeru-kun?"

"_Koushiro-kun?_"

"Hi. Sorry for calling this late, especially when it hasn't been for a while, but Tai and I just had another fight. It got REALLY bad this time and I don't know what to do."

"_Hey, you're preaching to the choir, brother. I know how bad it gets when Iori and I fight-_"

"NO, Takeru. It's not LIKE you and Iori. Tai and I aren't…romantic. We're just friends, really, really good friends."

"_Sure, Sure. So what was this fight about, anyway?_"

"I got a black-eye and Tai gave me this whole speech about how weak I am and how he wants to protect me from everyone else."

"…"

"Takeru? You still there?"

"_Y-yeah. I was just thinking that seems understandable after…what happened all those years ago. How bad was this fight anyway?_"

"Well, he attacked me and then I attacked him back."

"_That seems counter-productive to keeping you safe._"

"He claims he wanted to scare me into realizing how much danger I was in."

"_And are you? You just said you had a black-eye._"

"No, I just walked into a door."

"_Wow._"

"What?"

"_Even after all these years, you STILL haven't learned how to lie._"

"Takeru-"

"_Save it, Koushiro-kun. You don't have to tell me. But you really SHOULD tell Taichi._"

"But Takeru-"

"_No, listen, Koushrio. He's already worried for your safety, and now you're lying to him? Think how shut out of your like that must make him feel._"

"…"

"_Listen Koushiro. I know you didn't call to have me nag you. You came for advice, right?_"

"Yes."

"_Then here's a suggestion. Why don't you come with me tomorrow when I go to visit Hikarigaoka?_"

"H-Hikarigaoka?"

"_Yeah_. _You've been away for a long time, Koushiro, We both have. Maybe going back will help put things in perspective. And don't use that 'genius school' excuse you use on Taichi. I know you can ditch it._"

"…Okay. I'll do it"

"_Really?_"

"Really. After all, I could stand to see all our old friends again.

"_I'll meet you tomorrow at Odaiba's train station, alright?_"

"Alright. Right now I need some sleep though. Good night!"

"_Good night, Koushiro-kun._"

**Chapter 4**

"All favors have a price, mine are no different. The price ain't cheap, so the favor must be huge. Now, exactly WHAT do you want from the great Miyako-Sama."

"Just put a sock in it, Miyako." Shigeru said

"Fine. Don't come crying to me next time you need love help. At least Taichi had the sense to admit when he needed my help."

"I don't need love help!" Shigeru said

"Neither do I!" I responded

"Oh really? Then why'd you call?"

"I need CONVINCING help."

"Convincing? Convincing who of what?"

"I'm trying to convince Koushiro to let me protect him."

Miyako giggled and I fixed her with a scowl

The 4 of us were currently sitting at a yellow, wooden table in the middle of the only SUBWAY in Japan, waiting for a waitress to take our order, OUR meaning me, my good friend Shigeru, the self-proclaimed 'Love-Guru' Miyako Inoue and her boyfriend Ken ichijouji.

"What's so funny?"

"It's hilarious how naïve you are. This is undoubtedly a love problem."

"NO. Koushiro and I aren't in LOVE. We're just really good friends."

"Putting that discussion aside for a moment, tell me what happened EXACTLY."

"Well, I was relaxing on the couch at home when Koushiro called me, saying he needed help with something. So, naturally, I got to his apartment and found out he had a black-eye. But all of a sudden he decides not to tell me ANYTHING. He claims he walked into a door, which I could see clear as day was a load of bull.

"So what'd you?" Miyako asked, resting her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. She seemed to find this a little bit TOO interesting.

"Well…I decided to show him how dangerous his life could get without somebody protecting him and…

"And?" She leaned forward

"I attacked him."

THWACK!

Miyako pulled back her arm as a large bump started forming on my head.

"OW! Why the hell'd you do that?"

"Taichi, are you an IDIOT? You tried solving violence with MORE violence?"

"You're taking it out of context, Miyako-"

"Convincing Koushiro is DEFINITELY not your biggest problem. Getting Koushiro to trust you again is."

"Trust me?"

"Yeah! Taichi, if I twisted your leg while it was broken, it's a safe bet we wouldn't be sitting at the same lunch table."

I thought on that for a second before I had a response,

"But trusting me doesn't mean ANYTHING if Koushiro's not safe."

"Oh, that? I can arrange his protection with one simple phone call."

"R-Really? You can?" I managed to choke out

"Per the required FEE of course." She answered with a grin

"Which he can cover EASILY thank to me." Shigeru told her, flashing me a big grin.

"Shigeru…THANKS!"

"We can discuss your other issues over lunch,." said Miyako as she waved a waitress to our table.

**X X X**

I stood impatiently above the terminal at Odaiba, waiting for my ride.

The noise and rushing people were practically unbearable, one of the reasons I hated traveling. Plains, Trains, and Boats were all the same in my book.

I hadn't counted on the train-car being so packed however, the fact that it was an outdoor train-stop was a relief!

I was now waiting for Takeru to show up, watching people climb the escalator out of the terminal building, I would eventually have to enter.

I decided to turn and face the tracks. Maybe watching for the next train would kill some of my boredom.

I began to hear the familiar sounds of an engine as a pair of bright headlights shown up in the pitch-dark tunnel when I felt something bump into me, knocking me onto my hands and knees.

I looked up and felt the power of the train as it grazed my nose, letting me know just how close I was to the tracks.

As the train passed, I was struck by the cold realization that I could've died. Once it was gone, I found the strength to stand back up

"I-I'm so sorry!" I heard a scared voice say,

I turned around to find a brown-haired young boy about 4 feet tall with emerald green eyes.

"I-I just got distracted! I'm sorry!"

The boy was clearly shaken up. I gave a reassuring smile to calm him down.

"Hey, no harm no foul, right? What got you so distracted, anyway?"

I suddenly noticed something lying on the ground.

"Was it this?"

I picked up the lying object, discovering it to be a photo…of me, about ten years ago.

"Where did you get this?" I asked him, flattening my tone.

"M-my boyfriend, Takeru, told me to meet this guy at the terminal. He's some genius named Koushiro Izumi."

"Wow, he really thinks I'm a genius?" I mused to myself

"YOU'RE KOUSHIRO?"

"Yes. And I take it that makes you Iori?"

"Wait, he's told you about me? Exactly how much has a told you?"

I noticed a guilty red blush creeping into his cheeks

"Don't worry. If there's one thing I know about Takeru, he doesn't kiss and tell."

He let out a relieved sigh and I smiled. Even if I had to go back…THERE, at least I was in good company.

**X X X**

"Wow! You're SO CUTE!"

The blonde, odango-haired waitress said to me as she handed each of us our orders.

I hoped a pointed stare might deter her, but no. She was now squealing and giggling. I was starting to feel uncomfortable. I might have to tell her the truth soon, despite how much Satoshi hated telling people about our 'relationship', and frankly so did I.

I was just about to open my mouth when Miyako cut me off.

"Sorry, honey. There's no way you could ever date Shigeru-kun."

A Sad look crossed her eyes, "Why not?"

Miyako pasted a serious look on her face, "Because Shigeru-kun here…"

A Pause for effect

"…Has a raging case of herpes."

WHAT!

"What? Oh, I'm so sorry!" The blonde waitress laid a comforting hand on mine, "And here I am reminding you of what you're missing! I feel so bad."

"Don't," Miyako told her, "It's all his fault for being an idiot. Now if you'll please leave us to talk."

"Of course," she said, vanishing into the kitchen. Taichi and Miyako busted into laughter at my expense, while Ken just sat there blushing furiously.

"Thanks I lot, I could've just told her I was gay." I told her.

"You SHOULD be thanking me. That girl goes to our school!"

"W-what? Why didn't you tell me?"

"SURE, Telling you she went to our school for no apparent reason and coming up with a story in front of her wouldn't raise suspicions at all."

"B-But, now everyone's going to think I have HERPES! What if Satoshi hears about it?"

"Just my payback for that 'Sock' comment earlier. The great Miyako-sama is a double-edged sword!"

I put a comforting hand on the now-sulking Shigeru's shoulder.

He'd undoubtedly have to catch up with Satoshi before he heard the rumor.

"But Shigeru, this could actually work in your favor." I told him, "No girl's gonna want a guy with herpes, your cheerleaders included! You might even get to spend more time with Satoshi."

That sure perked him up, and brought miyako straight back down. Ken was massaging her shoulders when I decided to raise the issue of her services.

"So, about Koushiro's protection?"

"OH YEAH!"

Miyako reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a bedazzled cell phone, which she then began dialing, while I sat back beginning to wonder if I was making a deal with the devil.

* * *

Seriously, guys! I WILL kill this story. Review or I've got no reason to continue it.

Next chapter:

-Takeru is introduced outside of his Phone Voice

-Kaoru Matsubara is introduced in an interesting way!

-Touma and Nanami from Digimon Savers join the show as the villains of my story

-Koushiro's past is revealed as he reunites with Takeru

Hope you enjoyed everyone! I'll update soon if I get enough reviews and I'm not too busy!


	5. líkāi

"Well, here we are!"

I looked up at Koushiro, literally. He definitely had a good bit of height on me. Being short SUCKED. Especially when you're fifteen.

"T-THIS IS IT?" He stuttered

"YUP!" I flashed a cheerful grin, hoping to hide how nervous I actually was.

He whirled around looking at everything in a sense of exaggerated amazement, like he didn't believe me. I'd never seen somebody have such an intense reaction to a street before.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him.

"N-No. Not at all, I just can't believe they rebuilt ALL of it!"

We were standing on the sidewalk in front of a café with tinted glass. Takeru had given me specific instructions on where to bring Koushiro, but I just couldn't bring myself to interrupt this fascinating display.

Koushiro was now walking along the sidewalk.

I heightened my pace to keep up with him.

"Um, Koushiro-"

"That bridge!" The redhead shouted, running towards the overpass that covered our street.

I heard the boy giggling as I caught up to his pace yet again.

"That bridge looks JUST like the one Taichi and I used to play on all day!"

"P-Play? On a BRIDGE?" I stuttered out of breathlessness and confusion, "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Oh yeah. In fact, I was nearly hit by a car more than a few times."

"And you STILL kept playing on it?" I looked up at him, confused

"YUP."

"But why?"

"Taichi convinced me."

I wanted to ask how, but in the end I decided not to press the issue. I couldn't really delay us anymore. Still, Takeru always described Koushiro as intelligent and completely rational, even as a kid.

What sort of man could this Taichi be to override a blatant rule of caution in a perfectly sensible human being?

"YO! Iori! What's up?" A familiar voice cut through my thoughts.

I turned around to see a familiar head of maroon hair leaving the café we'd just passed.

"H-Hi Daisuke! What are you doing here?"

Crap, why did I say that? If I get him talking we'll be here for an hour! Damn my knee-jerk politeness.

"We won a soccer game and convinced the coach to buy us Pizza! I LOVE Foreign food!"

"Oh, hi!" Koushiro suddenly took notice of my maroon-haired friend, "Is this is a friend of yours, Iori?

"YO! Name's Daisuke! Who are you?"

"My name's Koushiro. Nice to meet you." Koushiro offered a hand, which Daisuke shook enthusiastically.

"So you're a soccer player then?" the redhead asked

"YUP! The best on my team!"

"What about Ken?" I offered

"I'm way better than him! He didn't even show up for today's game!"

"Who is ken?" Koushiro asked confused, not that I blamed him.

"Ken Ichijouji."

"No WAY!"

"Here it comes," Daisuke said, irritated.

"You mean the national Soccer Star/Chess Star/Martial Artist/GENIUS!"

"Yeah, yeah. He's no big deal, yet WHENEVER He's around people starting acting like Yaoi Fangirls!"

Koushiro got a nervous look on his face, as he started motioning for Daisuke to calm down, promising that he just thought it'd be 'interesting' to talk with a renowned genius. Daisuke crossed his arms out and let out a huff, 'causing me to laugh.

"Hey. What's so funny?" A familiar voice asked

My laughter ceased immediately.

Several feet away, walking down the side-walk was a young man with pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a white hat, a green shirt, and faded blue jeans. I knew and dated him as Takeru Takaishi.

I'd seen him many times before, but there was something unfamiliar this time. He had a girl with him. She had short but sleek brown hair, brown eyes, and a strapless white sundress with a matching hat. And she also had Takeru's ARM wrapped around her.

I don't why, I don't know how, but she gave me a feeling…a jealous feeling. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not usually jealous but she was…pretty. I began wondering instantly what she meant to Takeru. They were a feet away now and we were all silent.

I looked to Koushiro, who seemed just as stunned. I'm sure for different reasons than mine, though. After all, Koushiro and Takeru both survived-

"Hi Koushiro!" Takeru released the girl from his arm and ran forward, hugging Koushiro, "Long time no see."

"Hey, Takeru. What are you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet you?" The embraced redhead asked him

"Yeah. But then you were late, so I decided to come on my own." Takeru said with an eerily gentle voice.

Takeru released Koushiro, shooting me an irritated look.

"Sorry. That's my fault, Takeru. I just couldn't believe how PERFECTLY they rebuilt this place! It's incredible!"

"It is. Plus a few establishments greatly improved by this century's technology." Takeru replied, "So do you want to get going or would rather look around this place?"

"No, it's fine. We can go now.", the dark-eyed boy shook his head, "So how do we get there?"

"My friend Hikari's going to give us a ride." Takeru gestured towards the girl in white, who gave a cheerful little wave.

"I'm parked over by the bridge." She finally spoke, "Let's go."

I told Koushiro it was the bridge he mentioned before to elaborate, and we began walking towards said bridge when Takeru suddenly turned to me and said, "I'm sorry, Iori. There's not enough room in Hikari's car for the four of us. It's fine though since you already did your job, right?"

My face slipped into a noticeably surprised open-mouthed stare. I must've looked like an idiot.

"Right?" Takeru repeated

"R-right." I reluctantly said, my eyes dropping to my feet.

Takeru said nothing and I heard foot-steps once more, moving away from me.

"You know, Iori-kun," I looked up to see Hikari's face was a few inches from my face, "You shouldn't look so upset. It's not very cute."

She let out a giggle and then started running to catch up with them, "Takeru-Kun! Wait up!"

I felt my body shaking with anger. What was Takeru DOING with her? Sure, we'd been fighting a little bit more, lately, but he couldn't be doing….THAT…not with her. I mean, he was gay, wasn't he? Wasn't-

"Hey Iori." I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to face my dark-skinned friend, "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"You were clearly just shaking with anger, believe me, I know anger. I usually deal with it through sports, but you do it with talking. So let's talk."

"Daisuke…"

"Come on. There's a café RIGHT here. Feel free to stuff your face and spill all your emotional baggage on me."

"Daisuke…thank you."

**XXX**

As the three of us walked under the bridge, I spotted a shiny white convertible ahead, parked on the right side of the street.

"Is that your car, Hikari-san?"

"Yup!" She answered cheerfully, running to her car. Takeru sat in the front seat while I sat in the back. I couldn't help noticing there was plenty of space in the bag, surely enough for Iori to sit here. I wonder why Takeru wouldn't let him along? Then again it wasn't my business to ask.

As the car began to move, Takeru looked back over the seat and told me it'd be awhile before we reached our destination, and I could nap if I wanted. I took up on his offer and let dreams steal my anxiety away…

**XXX**

"Hello! My name is Momoko and I'll be your waitress today. What can I get you?"

"Yeah, I'll have a double cheese-burger with a large fry and a big milkshake."

"And for your cute friend here?"

"Iori, what do you want?"

Iori mumbled inaudibly so I just told her he'd share some of my food. Our waitress stuck the pen she wrote our order with back in the bow atop her raid hair and walked away.

"Alright Iori, time to let good ol' Daisuke cure what ails ya. For starters, who is that Koushiro guy? And what's his connection to Takeru?

And then my little friend looked up…and started to talk.

* * *

Wow! First Chapter on this in a WHILE! Sorry! I'll try to update this fic more often, but I DO have other fics to work on guys! Anyway, review this fic and it doesn't die! Reviews are a great motivator for new chapters! :P Next chapter has some of the stuff I promised last chapter but didn't deliver, PLUS:

-Koushiro visits his old friends

-Koushiro dreams of the past

-Taichi and Shigeru Return

-And Kaoru is introduced!


	6. Pohuai

"_HENSHIN!" Tai shouted at the top of his lungs._

"_H-henshin." I couldn't yell that loud_

"_Come on, Kou-chan. You can yell louder than that!"_

_Tai got off the bed and began shaking me until I finally relented, "HENSHIN!"_

"_See? Now you sound just like the Zyurangers!"_

"_Really?"_

"_Yup!"_

"_Which one am I?"_

"_Hmm. The pink one!"_

"_What? Why?"_

"_Because your hair is close to that color."_

"_Shouldn't I be the red one then?"_

"_No. I'm the red one!"_

"_And if I disagree?"_

"_Kou-chan, We're at MY House, remember? That means we need to follow MY rules."_

"_But we follow your rules at my house too! When's it my turn?"_

"_Hmm…How 'bout when you get older than me?"_

"_That'll never happen. How 'bout a game of chess?"_

"_I can't win that!"_

"_Exactly."_

"_Damn, Kou-chan. You can be so stubborn some times. It really makes me want to…"_

"_What?"_

"_It really makes me want to hit-"_

_The room shook, knocking Tai and I to the floor._

"_W-What was that?" I asked_

_Tai jumped back on to the bed, "K-Kou-chan! The Street! It's-It's"_

"_What?"_

"_It's on FIRE!"_

"_WHAT!"_

**XXX**

"So this street was attacked by Terrorists?"

Iori sat across from me, refusing to look directly at me. He was staring intensely at his milkshake.

"Hey, Iori. My eyes are up here." I joked, hoping to help him loosen up.

"Sorry, Daisuke-Kun. It's a very personal subject…my father died in that attack.

"He did?"

"Yeah. He was one of the first responders. He died in the fire that killed all those people."

"If he died trying to save their lives, then he was a hero, wasn't he?" I said, hoping to ease his depression.

And then Iori looked at me in a way he never had before. That mature composure he usually had was gone completely. Instead his eyes looked lost and sad. It was the first time I'd ever seen him really look like a kid.

"I-I'm sorry. You wanted to know more about Koushiro and the attack, right?"

"Um, yeah. As long as it doesn't bother you."

"Don't worry. I'm fine. So anyway, a Japanese religious movement named Aum Shinrikyo carried out the attack. They locked people in their homes to stop them from escaping and ignited poisonous gas, burning the entire streets. There were very few survivors and it took hours to put the fire out."

"So then Koushiro's a survivor?"

"Yes."

"And how did he survive?"

**XXX**

"_Mom! Dad! Please wake up! Please!"_

_Tears poured down Taichi's face. His parents lay on the floor covered in blood, while fire raged violently everywhere._

_I left him, running straight to the door, pulling on the handle._

"_It's locked! Taichi, it's locked! What do we do? What do we do?"_

_My whole body shook with fear. I could feel tears entering my eyes. Were we gonna die? Were my parents okay? Why was the street on fire? Why-"_

"_Kou-Chan! *Sniff* We've gotta get out of here."_

"_Tai, the door's locked!"_

"_We'll go out the window!"_

'_We'd die! We're too high up to climb down! And besides, we'd just be trapped out on the balcony!"_

_Tai was quiet for a second, and then he ran away from me. I followed him to his apartment's kitchen, where the fire hadn't spread yet._

_He opened the door of his refrigerator and wildly began to pull things out._

"_Tai! What are you doing?"_

"_We need to get in the fridge! It's the only thing big enough to hold us. Now help me or we're both gonna die!" _

_Tai was crying harder now, so I just joined him pulling things out of the fridge and dumping them on the kitchen floor. We finally pulled the shelves out of and Tai climbed into the large silver box. The kitchen was on fire now, so I wasted no time climbing in with me. Tai held me close as I shut the door fridge door._

_I felt Tai's cold tears hit my shoulder._

_For the next twelve hours all I heard were the sounds of our crying as Tai promised that he'd never hurt me. We instinctively knew we were all we had left. We were…we were-_

A hand shook my shoulder, waking me up. The fiery images were replaced by Takeru's face looking back at me.

"Koushiro…we're here."

* * *

DISCLAIMER: The Aum Shinrikyo attacked a Tokyo Subway with Sarin Gas. Their street attack in my story was completely false, only based on their activity in the 90's and their former recognized status as a Terrorist Organization. The Aum Shinrikyo are currently disbanded, and should any splintered or former members see this story, I implore that you don't be offended and don't take any kind of vengeful action against me.

;Sorry for the wait, guys! Please review and enjoy my story as always. :)


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